Marmomacc Meets Design

The “Marmomacc Meets Design” (MMD) project paired
leading international designers with stone processors. The pairings focused on
this year’s theme - “irregular and exceptional” - saw several innovations. A
2010 Best Communicator Award was presented to Budri and designer Patricia
Urquiola for a booth design where modules became a transparent booth perimeter
through the layering of fretworked arabesques. Photos by Alberto Parise

The “Marmomacc Meets Design” (MMD) project again
generated some of the more innovative booth designs. MMD 2010 paired leading
international designers with stone processors. The pairings focused on this
year’s theme - “irregular and exceptional” - in developing everything from
objects to entire booth designs.

Four of the MMD booths were among the winners of the 2010 Best Communicator
Award. A fifth award was given, for the first time, to a machinery company not
involved in MMD. The award is presented to the booths with the best visual
approaches to conveying the richness and potential of stone.

Budri and designer Patricia Urquiola were selected by the jury for the
company’s exceptional execution of the designer’s poetic vision: Modules became
a transparent booth perimeter through the layering of fretworked arabesques.

Designer Marco Piva, working with MGM Furnari, another
winner, selected different finishes for the same material to define the
interior space of the company’s booth.

Designer Marco Piva, working with MGM Furnari, another
winner, selected different finishes for the same material to define the interior
space of the company’s booth.

Pibamarmi, a repeat winner of the award, was recognized for its collaboration
with designer Manuel Aires Mateus. Despite using a single material, the jury
appreciated Aires Mateus’ ability to create a variegated articulation of the
booth’s space.

Tomas Sandell’s marble house, created in conjunction with Marsotto, was
rewarded by the jury for the repetition of the stone module used in the
structure, which effectively conveyed the essential nature of this elementary
icon.

Pibamarmi, was a winner once again, as it collaborated
with Manuel Aires Mateus to create a variegated articulation of the booth’s
space with a single material.

A machinery company - MDB Said srl, whose booth was
designed in conjunction with Paolo Armenise and Silvia Nerbi - also received a
Best Communicator Award. The jury highlighted the booth design’s ability to
handle a complex situation, created by the variety of technical products on
display, through a single clear paradigm. A tall perimeter wall became the
element that helped make the design rational despite the booth’s
heterogeneity.

Other designer/stone company pairings for MMD 2010 included: Luca Scacchetti
with Finstone S.A.R.L., Aldo Cibic with Grassi Pietre, Giovanni Vragnaz with
Iaconcig, and Enrico and Viola Tonucci with Stonehenge.

The “marble house” by Tomas Sandell was created in
conjunction with Marsotto, and it was rewarded by the jury for the repetition
of the stone module used in the structure.

This year, two of the MMD projects had a regional or
municipal scope: Riccardo Blumer, in conjunction with the Architecture Academy
of Mendrisio, Switzerland, and the Consorzio Marmisti Bresciani, created “urban
furnishings” in Botticino marble for the nearby city of Varese; and Sistema
Puglia, a promotional agency for the Apulia Region, collaborated with four
young, already well-known designers - Philippe Nigro, Stefan Diez, Tomàs Alonso
and Luca Nichetto - each of whom worked with a different stone from Apulia.

Luca Scacchetti was paired with with Finstone S.A.R.L.

Aldo Cibic, a frequent participant in the program,
collaborated with Grassi Pietre.

Among the projects with a regional or municipal scope,
Sistema Puglia, a promotional agency for the Apulia Region, collaborated with
four young, already well-known designers - Philippe Nigro, Stefan Diez, Tomàs
Alonso and Luca Nichetto - each of whom worked with a different stone from
Apulia.

In the December 2016 issue, we look at some highlights of the Marmo+Mac 2016, and the new renovations of the Freemasons' Hall in London, England. We also present some new products, technology updates, machine of the month, and stone of the month.

For this issue, we are excited to share with you four features that focus on using compact and ultrathin slabs in both residential and commercial projects. As these products continue to gain popularity, we wanted to share different ideas of applications, including an upscale dining environment in the interior of a Saks Fifth Avenue.